Family
A Milanese blend of styles
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At
Tommaso Spinzi
A creative studio or a lived-in loft that looks like the bachelor pad of the future? In this surprising space in the heart of Milan, we meet Tommaso Spinzi, designer and founder of Spinzi, an agency of designers and consultants who specialise in interior design and art direction. Tommaso Spinzi’s apartment is a perfect example of the hybrid professions practised by creative minds, for whom the boundaries between disciplines have long since been broken down. In this high-ceilinged space with partitions that have also been removed, Italian design classics sit side by side with pieces by Spinzi, a Porsche parked in the living room, “like a sculpture”, lots of objects, books and vinyl scattered here and there, all carefully chosen by the owner. With the Salone del Mobile in Milan just a few weeks away, where Spinzi will of course present its new pieces, The Socialite Family slipped into this radical yet welcoming home, extremely personal, and yet utterly Italian. Interview
Location
Milan
Author
Elsa Cau
Photographer
Valerio Geraci
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TSF
Tommaso, can you introduce yourself?
Tommaso
I’m a designer and artist based in Milano, Italy. During my career I’ve lived and worked between Europe, Australia and the US, and have returned to Italy not too long ago, in 2019 to set the base of Spinzi in Milano.
TSF
Tell us about your childhood. What environment did you grow up in and how did it influence your idea of beauty?
Tommaso
I was born in a little town on the shores of Lake Como, so I consider myself extremely lucky: since I was a little child, I have seen, felt and touched the atmosphere of possibly one of the most magical place in Italy. A place where natural beauty and man-made wonders meet to create really a unique universe. This has taught me the value of “Made in Italy”, which sometimes might sound a bit like a cliché, but is actually a way of living that brings together beauty, elegance, tradition and authenticity in an effortless way. Then, of course, traveling and living abroad has added fundamental pieces in my personal and professional formation, because every influence I received – be it cultural, or just in terms of design – has left a mark on me.
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since I was a little child, I have seen, felt and touched the atmosphere of possibly one of the most magical place in Italy : lake Como.
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TSF
How would you define your design signature?
Tommaso
I think what drives me is first and foremost curiosity. I like to be curious, to explore and discover new stuff of almost any kind and from any era, and find my inspiration there. It might be a shape that strikes my imagination, or a certain material, but also just a concept or a sentence someone elaborated a long time ago. That’s why I like to contaminate vintage and contemporary in my interior projects: because I believe that past, present and future are an open dialogue and work better when they come together. I also like to be “fluid” in my creative process, not limiting myself to a certain area, but rather exploring the boundaries of product, furniture, automotive , fashion , art…
TSF
We are here in your eponymous studio, which is also your home. Tell us about your encounter with this duplex with its atypical volumes.
Tommaso
Our Milano base has served many purposes before I moved in in 2018, but it never had anything to do with design – or cars, for that matters. The encounter actually happened at a 16000km distance: I was still living in Australia when I first saw pictures of the place, which was listed online . I felt something, and probably it was in that very moment that I decided it was time for me to go back home and start this new adventure. It was as if I could already see the raw, industrial space evolve, becoming a curated gallery home but also preserving its flaws and imperfections, and narrating its rich and complex history. Since I moved in, I found many different ideas here: the way the light comes in, and how the space changes throughout the day, is a really powerful source of inspiration.
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I think what drives me is first and foremost curiosity.
TSF
Industrial loft, creative laboratory, art gallery: how did you design and decorate this hybrid space?
Tommaso
The first goal was to elevate the environment, and make it more refined, while at the same time preserving its heritage. I wanted to feel the matericity of the walls and the floor, and I wanted materials – even the roughest ones – to be in plain sight. I ended up keeping the walls, windows and mezzanine almost as they were, and I replaced the floor with a micro-cement by a local brand named Innovative Surface. Then, it’s all about furniture, and shifting it from time to time according to a specific mood or inspiration. I always try to keep a balance and an open dialogue between pieces we design at Spinzi and a selection of vintage furniture and objects. It’s not easy to pinpoint a single movement I like more than others: I might answer the Space Age, or Italian Mid-Century, but in reality it’s more about the single pieces than an entire style. If I fall in love with an object, and I feel like it has a place in the studio, I just add it to the collection – no matter if it’s a chromed lamp from the Seventies or a marble table from the Twenties.
TSF
What does this place say about you ?
Tommaso
I like to intend the studio as an immersive space, where all things set a coherent mood and evoke a lifestyle that I share with like-minded people. We have Spinzi playlists on Spotify with a very eclectic mix of music that we listen to, we move the car around as if it were a sculpture, have a complete living area but also our work space with lots of material samples, sketches and prototypes around. It really is a creative hub, where we can introduce friends, clients and brands to the Spinzi lifestyle.
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It’s not easy to pinpoint a single movement I like more than others: I might answer the Space Age, or Italian Mid-Century, but in reality it’s more about the single pieces than an entire style.
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TSF
Which piece of our collection would you like to live with?
Tommaso
I like the Libera chair. It has a timeless design that would look at home in a modernist villa from the Thirties but also in a futuristic apartment, and its name means “free” in Italy: I like this concept of freedom.
TSF
For you, The Socialite Family stands for…
Tommaso
It’s a name that evokes a way of living, enjoy and foster: at Spinzi we love to create connections and stimulate creativity through contamination of ideas, thoughts and visions; and we also aim at creating an ever growing team of people that feel like a family, a family you can trust and with whom you can always feel at home.
TSF
Do you have any Milanese addresses to recommend for a weekend or a holiday in the capital of Italian design?
Tommaso
Milan is a city that lives on trends: I prefer to steer clear of them if possible, and instead go to more authentic, off-the-grid locations. If I want to grab a drink I go to Deus, in the Isola neighborhood, a Mecca for any motor enthusiast; for dinner, the Osteria del Biliardo in Affori is an incredible time capsule that brings you back to a Milano of six decades ago, and if I’m in the mood for a night out I choose Spirit the Milan, a restaurant/club set in an old glass fabric in the Bovisa area. The building is a true gem, and look like it came straight out of a purist artist sketch.
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